A caller wondered to C-Mac what the Yankees will do at first base whenever Anthony Rizzo returns, considering rookie Ben Rice has started to find his power stroke, hitting five home runs since the Fourth of July, including a three-homer game on Saturday.
For C-Mac, the answer right now would likely be to stick with Rice, but a lot could change between now and when Rizzo returns from a broken arm.
“My guess is, if he continues to be hot, I think they’ll play him, and Rizzo will be a bench/platoon guy,” C-Mac said. “But it’s still gonna be a few weeks, and if Rice cools off, I think they’d send him back down and give it to Rizzo.
“I think they’re gonna want to give Rizzo a chance…but if Rice is playing well, you can’t abandon him. Ben Rice is gonna have to hit to stay here. I don’t think it’s to the point where they look at Rice and go ‘this guy is it.’”
Rizzo was struggling terribly at the plate before his injury, and was equally putrid at the plate before being shut down last season due to post-concussion symptoms. Still, he is a proven veteran bat with playoff experience, and if Rice cools off, C-Mac could see him being sent down to make room for Rizzo.
“I think they’re gonna want to play Rizzo for the same reason they want to play LeMahieu,” C-Mac said. “They are veterans who, of the get it going, can be difference makers. But I don’t know if they still can get it going.”